Minamata syndrome occurs through chronic mercury poisoning, used to amalgamate gold dust in hundreds of illegal mines in the forests of Indonesia. The process releases toxic substances: the waste from the extraction are also contaminating the surrounding environment and the water tables: people living in villages located downstream of the mines have, without their knowledge, used to drink, cook and irrigate the fields, water containing mercury. It manifests with neurological problems, difficulty in movement, muscle weakness, visual, auditory-cognitive deficits and anatomical abnormalities.
